- What opportunities are open to me?
There are many opportunities for Penn undergraduates to conduct research in any discipline—regardless of their previous experience. Research positions can be:
- Volunteer
- Arranged through work-study
- Paid -- funded directly through a faculty member’s grant or via a program that provides a stipend
- Conducted for academic credit, or
- Supported via a grant for which you apply.
Keep in mind that funding options are often specific to particular kinds of research, fields of study, grad year, etc. In addition, most (but not all) CURF funding is reserved for research conducted under the mentorship of a Penn faculty member.
Use the list below to identify research programs, grants and opportunities at Penn, elsewhere in the US and abroad. While CURF strives to maintain a thorough and up-to-date website, these listings are not comprehensive and students are encouraged to conduct their own funding searches.
- What grants should I apply for?
The Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship (PURM) program is ideal for first and second-year students who have little to no prior research experience. For more advanced researchers, the College Alumni Society Research Grant, the Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant, and the Class of 1971 Robert J. Holtz Endowed Fund for Undergraduate Research are good places to start.
Other options are often specific to particular populations or kinds of research (e.g. grants for international research, social-impact endeavors, or for juniors who have not done research before).
Sachs Program for Arts Innovation
Deadline: 11/22/2024The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation provides numerous grants for Penn students and faculty in support of support teaching art, making art, and presenting art, as well as to provide Penn students with increased access to the arts and humanities.
The Water Center at Penn Student Research Support Program
Deadline: 12/08/2024 (Tentative)The WCP Student Research Support Program provides support for undergraduate research in water science, policy, and sustainability.
Wilson Center Research Assistance Internship
Deadline: 12/08/2024Research Assistant interns have the unique opportunity to work directly with experts at the Wilson Center, as they examine issues of contemporary public policy or explore topics that provide the historical context behind today’s pressing policy debates.
National Institute on Drug Abuse Summer Research Internship Program
Deadline: 01/03/2025Summer research opportunity for undergraduates interested in learning more about the field of drug abuse and addiction research.
Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
Deadline: 01/08/2025The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship provides both undergraduate and graduates students through conducting research in one of 17 participating U.S. Department of Energy laboratories/facilities for summer or for a semester-long experience.
RealArts@Penn Internships
Deadline: 01/15/2025 (Tentative)RealArts@Penn Internships help students jumpstart their chosen artistic lives and career paths through paid internships with creative professionals across the country.
Penn Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium
Deadline: 01/31/2025 (Tentative)The Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium facilitates faculty- and doctoral student-mentored, urban-focused research through funding support and a semester-long, credit-bearing seminar (CPLN 528/URBS 428).
EPFL School of Life Sciences International Summer Research Program
Deadline: 01/31/2025 (Tentative)The Summer Research Program in Life Sciences and Technology at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) offers an intensive research training opportunity to undergraduate students interested in research careers in life sciences.
NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Deadline: 01/31/2025The NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) provides students with the opportunity to spend 11 weeks conducting hands-on lab research with world-class mentors in one of NIST's six labs or other offices.
Park City Mathematics Institute's Undergraduate Summer School
Deadline: 01/31/2025The Undergraduate Summer School (USS) at Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI) provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to learn some fascinating mathematical ideas in a setting that allows them to interact with mathematicians at all levels.